Hour hand device



y 1941- L, E. NEBERGALL 2,251,021

HOUR HAND DEVICE Filed Nov. 25, 1940 l1 all/Fame EJVbfl'gGZl INVENTOR WITNESS ATTORNEYS Patented July 29, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE noun HAND DEVICE Lawrence E. Nebergall, Ottawa, Ill. Application November 25,1940, Serial No. 367,107

1 Claim.

This invention relates to horology and its general object is to provide an hour hand device that includes two or more pointers for the purpose of simultaneously indicating the time at different places throughout the world, and a device having two pointers can be used for indicating the time in two standard zones or standard and daylight saving time in the same standard zone, while a device with four pointers can be used to indicate the time in four standard zones, for example in the Pacific, mountain, central and eastern zones of the United States of America.

A further object is to provide an hour hand device that is primarily designed to replace the usual hour hand of any type of horologe, such as a watch or clock, merely by removing the hour hand from its arbor and attaching my device thereto, and the device includes means to counterbalance the pointers so that the weight of the latter will not interfere with the mechanism of the time instrument.

Another object is to provide an hour hand device having pointers that can be readily distinguished from each other, by color and/or indicia, so that the respective times can be ascertained at a glance.

A still further object is to provide an hour hand device that can be stamped or cut in a single unit from any kind of sheet material, and

the device is extremely simple in construction, 7

inexpensive to manufacture, and eflicient in use and service.

This invention also consists in certain other features of construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, to be hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing and specifically pointed out in the appended claim.

In describing the invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawing wherein like characters denote like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which:

Figure 1 is a front view of a time instrument and illustrates one form of my device in use therewith.

Figure 2 is a front View of the form of the device per se of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an edge elevation thereof.

Figure 4 is a front view of a modified form.

Referring to the drawing in detail, it will be noted that the letter A indicates the dial of a time instrument such as a watch, clock or the like, and B the minute hand which is mounted upon an arbor disposed within the hour hand arbor in the usual manner.

While I have illustrated two forms of my device, one including four pointers and the other two, it will be understood that the device can be made to include any number of pointers.

In any event, the form of Figures 1 to 3 includes four pointers indicated by the reference numerals l, 2, 3 and 4 respectively and which radiate from a body portion 5 in a manner to be disposed in equi-distantly spaced relation with respect to each other, andso that each pointer will be exactly one hour apart, as this form is primarily designed for use in the United States of America to indicate the time in the respective time zones thereof, namely Pacific standardtime, I

mountain standard time, central standard time and eastern standard time. However, it will be understood that the pointers may be spaced variapparent upon inspection of Figure 1.

The pointers in the form shown gradually increase in width from their juncture with the body portion 5 to adjacent their outer ends, and the outer end portions are reduced in triangular formation to terminate in a point, but the pointers can be of any suitable shape, and the same is true with respect to the body portion 5 providing it is arranged to counterbalance the pointers.

A hearing collar 6 may be provided for the device, particularly when it is to be used with a large clock, for attachment of the device to the hour arbor, but in any event the body portion has an opening therein for receiving either the bearing collar or the hour arbor, as the collar is not necessary when the device is used with watches and small clocks.

In order that the hands may be readily distinguished from each other, so that the time in the respective places can be ascertained at a glance, each pointer is of a. different color, for example the pointer I may be orange, the pointer I 2 blue, the pointer 3 white and the pointer l red,

pointer forms shown, they have the initials of the respective time zones in the United States of America, but words may be used in place of the initials, for example Pacific, mountain, central and eastern. It is preferred that one of the pointers be of the same color as that of the minute hand for use or the instrument in the time zone designated by that particular color, for example the time instrument of Figure 1 is provided with a white minute hand, and the pointer 3 is white to designate central standard time, consequently the instrument of that figure is primarily designed for use in the central standard time zone.

The only material difference between the form of Figures 1 to 3 and that of Figure 4 is that the latter includes two pointers I and 8 with the initials S. T. on the pointer I for that pointer to indicate standard time in any particular zone and the initials D. S. T. on the pointer 8 for the latter to indicate daylight saving time. It will be understood that the pointers I and 8 may be of different colors, and in View of the fact that the form of Figure 4 includes only two pointers,

the' body portion 9 therefor is relatively smaller than the body portion 5, but is substantially of the same shape and is shown as having a bearing collar i fixed thereto for attaching this form to the hour arbor of a time instrument, as will be apparent.

My device is preferably made from sheet material and is stamped or cut therefrom into a single unit and the bearing collars may or may not be used therewith, as previously indicated, but in any event the device is simple and can be inexpensively manufactured, as well as attached to time instruments now in general use, merely by replacing the hour hand therewith.

It is thought from the foregoing description that the advantages and novel features or the invention will be readily apparent.

It is to be understood that changes may be made in the construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, provided that such changes fall within the scope of the appended claim.

What I claim is:

As a new article of manufacture, an hour hand device for a time indicating instrument, such as an ordinary clock including a dial, a minute hand and an hour hand arbor with the hour hand removed therefrom, said device constituting a single fiat stamped sheet metal unit comprising a body having a relatively wide arcuate end portion, a narrow opposite end and inclined side edges diverging to the arcuate end, said body provided with an opening adjacent its narrow end to receive said arbor for attachment of the device thereto, a plurality of pointers formed on and radiating from said narrow end for cooperation with the dial to indicate the time in different geographical time zones, each pointer gradually increasing in width from its juncture with the body and the outer end portion thereof being reduced in triangular formation to terminate into a point, said pointers being distinguished from each other by contrasting colors and having indicia thereon indicative of the zones, the wide end portion of the body opposing the pointers to provide counterbalancing means therefor, and one of said pointers being colored the same as that of the minute hand to indicate the use of the instrument in the time zone designated by that particular color.

LAWRENCE E. NEBERGALL. 

